[RC] hair loss: mites? Lice? ....? - sherman

Attention Georgia Equestrians who ride the Chattahoochee-Oconee National
Forests:

The recent Forest Service Land Management Plan for the Chattahoochee-Oconee
National Forests has severely impacted riding opportunities for Georgia
Equestrians.  If you have not done so already, please visit the FS web site
at http://www.fs.fed.us/conf/rec/rogs/horse/horse.htm and read the "Guide to
Horseback Riding on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest 2004".  This
document is a listing of the ONLY places that you can currently ride in the
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests.  While there, please view the video
of Forest Supervisor Kathleen Atkinson discussing this plan.

There are 750,000 acres in the Chattahoochee National Forest and 115,000
acres in the Oconee National Forest.  Over the years, thousands of FS roads
have been ripped out of these forests, built with our tax dollars for the
purpose of commercial timber harvest or cutting to maintain a "healthy"
forest.  These FS roads were built to support log truck traffic, with
graveled roadbeds, drain tiles, and fords, no environmental impact statement
required.  After logging operations are complete, they are then abandoned.

Equestrians and other recreational users have used these roads over the
years, keeping them clear and maintaining them at no expense to the FS.
They are lightly used and frequently in much better shape and more sound
ecologically than designated horse trails.  In many cases, through the
efforts of recreational users, these old logging roads have BECOME
designated trails.  Under the current FS plan, ONLY logging operations can
use these roads.  They will now deteriorate rapidly, making it much more
difficult in the future for them to "become" trails.  The result will be a
reduction in the number of new trails and overuse of the existing ones at a
time when the number of recreational users of our National Forests is
dramatically increasing.  I live adjacent to the Cohutta Wilderness in the
Chattahoochee National Forest.  In the 6 years I have lived here, we have
gained not ONE additional trail in this area of the Chattahoochee National
Forest. However, under President Bush's "Healthy Forests Initiative" I
understand that soon we WILL gain a lot of new logging roads, paid for by
OUR tax dollars...but you won't be able to ride them on your horse.

Ms. Atkinson states that there are 200 miles of trail open to horses in the
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests.  What she DOESN'T say is more
important.  Sixty-three (63) of those miles are on the Pinhoti Trail, but
not ALL of the Pinhoti is open to horses and the sections are not
contiguous.  Except for a few places, there are no loops because the
connector trails to provide the loops are now closed because they were old
logging roads.  Access points for point-to-point riding the Pinhoti are very
limited.

Of the remaining miles, 53 of them are in the Cohutta Wilderness with only
two trailheads for equestrians.  Cottonwood Patch, on the northwest corner
is a nice facility but overcrowded.  Jacks River Fields, on the Southwest
corner is rudimentary at best with a poor horse facility and inaccessible to
all but the smallest horse trailers.  The Cohutta Wilderness trails are not
close enough for most equestrians to ride there as a day trip.

That leaves only approximately 116 miles of horse trails available to the
general public in 865,000 acres of National Forest.  (In contrast, the
Leatherwood Mountains Resort has 100+ miles of trails on 4000 acres!)  In
addition, Ms. Atkinson points out that there are about 1600 miles of
numbered FS roads available for equestrians.  What she DOESN'T say is that
many of them are heavily covered in No. 57 gravel, making them unsuitable
for riding without special hoof protection.  Many others are not in
appropriate places or for various reasons are not suitable as "trails".

So what can YOU do?

If you are a Georgia Equestrian, we need your help.  There is one more
chance to address this issue with the FS.  If you have NOT received a
private email from me which included another page of the above, AND you are
opposed to the new Land Management rules for the Chattahoochee-Oconee
National Forests regarding equestrians, AND you are willing to help, email
me privately and I will send you additional information. Georgia riders
only, please!

Jim, Sun of Dimanche+, and Mahada Magic


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We are talking about all the tools we can use to keep our horses safe and
alive at the rides. Training/conditioning is one of the best tools
available. It makes us better horseman and women, it benefits our horses
and could quite possibly be the key to preventing most crashes.
~ Lisa Salas - The Odd Farm

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

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